First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War (1 August 1894–17 April 1895), also called the Qing-Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and Japan, primarily over the control of Korea. Both the Chinese and European public initially believed that China would defeat Japan, but the modernized Imperial Japanese Army was able to rout poorly-armed, poorly-trained, and demoralized Qing forces. After six months of desperate fighting, the Qing government sued for peace. The war shattered the illusion in China and abroad about the country's dominant position in East Asia and proved Japan to be the rising power. The Qing dynasty was also forced to cede Taiwan, Penghu, and the Liaodong Peninsula to Japan, and it transferred its vassalage of the Joseon dynasty to Japan. Background The outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War was caused by the Donghak Rebellion in Korea, which inflamed tensions between China and Japan. The Chinese were supposed to notify the Japanese before intervening militarily in Korean affairs, but they broke the Convention of Tientsin when they sent troops to crush the rebel army. The Japanese sent troops to southern Korea to remain on standby; Japan was not intending to allow for China to assert its influence over Korea. After the rebellion was crushed, the Japanese insisted that the Chinese withdraw, making this assertion as more Japanese troops arrived. The Chinese inflamed tensions by sending a new resident to Seoul, and the Japanese prime minister Ito Hirobumi decided, on 22 June 1894, that the Chinese military buildup left Japan with no other option but war. The British failed to mediate between Japan and China, so the Imperial Japanese Navy formed a "Combined Fleet" on 19 July 1894. On 23 July 1894, the Japanese captured Seoul, captured King Gojong of Korea, and established a pro-Japanese government that terminated all Sino-Korean treaties and gave the Imperial Japanese Army the right to expel the Chinese Beiyang Army from northern Korea. War On 25 July 1894, a Japanese fleet blockading Pungdo spotted military escort ships for a Chinese transport fleet, and the Japanese proceeded to sink a gunboat and transport. The Battle of Pungdo was the first battle of the war, and the Japanese prepared to invade Korea and destroy the 3,500 Chinese troops on the peninsula. The 4,000 Japanese troops in Korea defeated the Chinese at Seonghwan on 28 July, and the remaining Chinese forces in Korea withdrew to Pyongyang on 4 August. The 15,000 troops stationed in Pyongyang fortified the city, and the Japanese assaulted the city in September 1894, forcing the Chinese garrison to surrender. On 17 September 1894, the Japanese navy destroyed the Chinese Beiyang Fleet at the Yalu River, and the battle was a major propaganda victory for Japan. The Chinese proceeded to abandon northern Korea and withdraw into Manchuria, into which the Japanese pushed in October. On 24 October 1894, the Japanese crossed the Yalu River into Manchuria, and only 4 Japanese soldiers were killed and 140 wounded during their penetration across the Chinese border. In November, the Japanese besieged Lushunkou (Port Arthur), which was taken with minimal casualties on 21 November. The Chinese fleet, which withdrew to Weihaiwei, found itself attacked in January-February 1895. The Japanese destroyed the land and naval forces in Lushunkou, and they occupied the Pescadores Islands in March 1895. On 17 April 1895, Japan and China signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceding Taiwan, Port Arthur, and Penghu to Japan. Category:Wars